Journal or Publishing Institution: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
Study: http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs00128-003-9134-0.pdf
Author(s): Verrell, P. and Van Buskirk, E.
Article Type: Peer Reviewed Study
Record ID: 873
Text: As appreciated by Darwin (1881), earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) play crucial roles in the formation and maintenance of fertile soils. Thus, they may be considered ‘keystone’ species as targets of the anthropogenic contamination of terrestrial ecosystems (Greig-Smith et al. 1992). Also, earthworms increasingly are being considered as sentinels, or biomarkers, of soil health and integrity (Keddy et al. 1995). Contamination with pesticides is known to negatively impact earthworm activity in natural soils, as measured by decreased removal of surface litter and reduced numbers of worm castes (e.g., Keogh and Whitehead (1975). But, are such consequences of exposure to contaminants due directly to the death of worms or to their migration into adjacent unaffected areas (Slimack 1997; Yeardley et al. 1996)?…
Citation: Verrell, P. and Van Buskirk, E., 2004. As the worm turns: Eisenia fetida avoids soil contaminated by a glyphosate-based herbicide. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 72(2), pp.219-224.
